Jiangnan's sericulture customs: Why do young women love to join the crowd?

In the 2nd century AD, Lu Xun was appointed as the military officer of Haichang (now Haining) and led the county affairs, encouraging and supervising agriculture and sericulture. During the Southern Song Dynasty, the capital was moved to Lin'an, which promoted the development of the sericulture and silk industry in Haining. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the sericulture industry in Haining developed even faster, with the saying "sericulture is ten times more profitable than farming" and "silkworms mature in half a year." Yunlong Village in Zhouwangmiao Town, as a typical representative of sericulture production in Haining, not only retains a large number of traditional sericulture production techniques but also has formed a series of folk activities related to silkworms. Yunlong's sericulture customs mainly include the customs of "worshiping the silkworm god," "inviting the silkworm flower goddess," "welcoming the silkworm flower," "silkworm cat," "warding off evil," "silkworm prohibition," and silkworm god worship, as well as the customs of "performing silkworm flower opera," "sweeping the silkworm flower ground," "joining the silkworm flower crowd and wearing silkworm flowers," "inserting willow branches," and the customs of "silkworm news dumplings," "welcoming relatives and asking for silkworm flowers," "sending silkworm flowers," "pulling silkworm flower strings," and "coiling silkworm flowers" related to weddings and funerals, as well as language, life taboos, and local traditional folk arts related to sericulture production. Every year during the Qingming Festival and on the birthday of Emperor Ma Ming on the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, Haining's sericulture farmers hold a series of sacrificial activities and sing the silkworm god song "Emperor Ma Ming" to pray for the protection of the silkworm god for sericulture production. The "Zha Taiping" (also known as "Zha Canhua") is popular in Dingqiao, Yuanhua, and Huangwan in Haining, and originated from the temple fairs of Chongjiao Temple, Taiping Guangfu Temple, and Yue Temple. During the Zha Taiping period on the fifth day of the second lunar month every year, villagers gather, and there are monkey and horse opera troupes, street performers, and a wide variety of agricultural tools, silkworm tools, and other miscellaneous goods. People enjoy squeezing and jostling each other, with the saying "everyone squeezes together, and the whole year will be peaceful." Flowers made of colored paper, cocoons, or silk, used as women's head ornaments, are also called "silkworm flowers" in the silkworm-producing areas. On this day, newlywed women and young women who raise silkworms wear silkworm flower head ornaments and deliberately join the lively crowd, hoping to "prosper more and more." The "Silkworm Flower Horse Lantern Dance," also known as "Jumping Horse Lantern," is a folk dance evolved from the legend of "Silkworm Flower Bodhisattva Ma Ming Wang." Performers carry horse lanterns on their backs and use running and jumping steps to move the horse's head in dance movements. Initially, performers would go from village to village, performing for silkworm families and wishing for abundant silkworm flowers. Later, it gradually developed into a group dance with three groups: "horse riders," "vase girls," and "horse egg pickers." The "horse egg pickers" are clowns with strange performances. There is a saying among the people that "saving silkworms is like putting out a fire." Haining's "rocking fast boat," also known as "stepping on the white boat," is a folk water sports activity held to worship the silkworm god. During the rocking fast boat performance, there are 16 people on the boat, including one female rower.